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Lycurgus Consulting the Pythia (1835/1845), as imagined by Eugène Delacroix.. Pythia was the priestess presiding over the Oracle of Apollo at Delphi.There are more than 500 supposed oracular statements which have survived from various sources referring to the oracle at Delphi.
Another popular theory held that the maxims were first spoken by the Delphic oracle, and therefore represented the wisdom of the god Apollo. [10] Clearchus of Soli , among others, attempted to reconcile the two accounts by claiming that Chilon, enquiring of the oracle what was best to be learnt, received the answer "Know thyself", and ...
Diodorus explained how, initially, the Pythia was an appropriately clad young virgin, for great emphasis was placed on the Oracle's chastity and purity to be reserved for union with the god Apollo. [28]
The word oracle comes from the Latin verb ōrāre, "to speak" and properly refers to the priest or priestess uttering the prediction. In extended use, oracle may also refer to the site of the oracle, and the oracular utterances themselves, are called khrēsmoí (χρησμοί) in Greek.
Delphi among the main Greek sanctuaries. Delphi (/ ˈ d ɛ l f aɪ, ˈ d ɛ l f i /; [1] Greek: Δελφοί), [a] in legend previously called Pytho (Πυθώ), was an ancient sacred precinct and the seat of Pythia, the major oracle who was consulted about important decisions throughout the ancient classical world.
Another popular theory held that the maxims were first spoken by the Delphic oracle, and therefore represented the wisdom of the god Apollo. [7] Clearchus of Soli , among others, attempted to reconcile the two accounts by claiming that Chilon, enquiring of the oracle what was best to be learnt, received the answer "know thyself", and ...
The god may speak in ravings caused by ingestion of a substance, or in the ordinary conversation of an unsuspecting priestess. The oracle at Delphi: According to Bonnefoy, [35] theolepsy is the possession by a god, which may be further qualified by the god's name: phoibolepsy or pytholepsy for Apollo, panolepsy for Pan, [36] nympholepsy for ...
Both oracles and seers in ancient Greece practiced divination. Oracles were the conduits for the gods on earth; their prophecies were understood to be the will of the gods verbatim. Because of the high demand for oracle consultations and the oracles’ limited work schedule, they were not the main source of divination for the ancient Greeks.